Friendly, practical,
business-savvy developers
Yes, we really do exist.
SEE WHAT WE DO
Database programmers.
Web developers. Trusted partners.
Our clients depend on us to dive deep into their business issues, re-imagine processes, elucidate strategies, and be totally transparent about costs. They count on us to build reliable systems using the industry’s most bulletproof software. And they fully appreciate that we’re practical innovators who only recommend new technologies when we’re certain they can provide long-term value.
A human approach to application development.
Let go of that programmer stereotype: introverted, oblivious to budget, and hell-bent on using all the latest gadgets. At J Street, we’re fully plugged in to the human dynamics behind creating successful partnerships and phenomenal solutions. You won’t find anyone that’s better at listening carefully, anticipating issues, and avoiding pitfalls.
HOW TO CHOOSE A DEVELOPMENT TEAM
From cruise ships to clogs, we’re into it.
Our clients represent an astounding variety of industries. Some have household names; some you’ve never heard of. Some are local; others multinational. There are for-profit businesses, and not-for-profits, too. But they all have one thing in common: Every day, J Street’s solutions help them do what they do even better.
WHAT CLIENTS SAY ABOUT J STREET
Engaged. Insightful. Enduring. That’s J Street.
We may be some of the most seasoned, business-savvy application developers you’ll ever meet. We also happen to be some of the warmest, most candid, and clear-thinking folks on the planet. Our clients love that about us. We bet you will, too.
GET A FREE CONSULTATIONThoughtful Analysis + Practical Innovation
Our job isn’t just about writing code. It’s about building trust and solving problems. That’s why, long before any coding happens, we immerse ourselves completely in your industry, your processes, and the story behind your data. We want to see everything you see – and all the stuff you don’t see, too.
Our project development process involves total transparency, continuous collaboration, and a laser focus on supporting what drives your business.
1. Free Initial Consultation
Every job we do begins with this step. You describe your objectives, your budget, and your timeline. We evaluate whether J Street can provide a solution that fits all three. This step also offers all of us a prime opportunity to decide whether we’d make a good team.
Sometimes when projects are very large or complex, an initial consultation can’t produce the clarity we need to develop a reasonably accurate picture of your project’s scope and cost. In that case, we may suggest that you hire us for step two, a detailed Architectural Framework phase.
2. Architectural Framework
This discovery step is where we steep ourselves in your business. First, we meet with key staff to learn all about your existing systems. Then, we meet with the people who will use the new system to ensure that we fully understand the needs driving their requirements. Throughout this process, we maintain a detailed Q & A archive to ensure that we’re communicating effectively with you and vice versa.
Next, we build three main deliverable documents:
The Project Plan is a statement of work that describes all the features your application will have. This document defines the overall scope and size of the project. We refer to it throughout the process to ensure that the project scope remains understood and controlled.
The Screen Flow is a diagram that shows all the screens or web pages that your new application will contain, and the navigation paths between them. Each screen has an approximate effort level to help us build estimates. We divide the screens into modules of work, depending on the size of the project.
The initial Database Design is the design of the tables your new system will have, with the relationships between them, and many of the important fields specified. It’s also commonly called an entity relationship diagram. And it isn’t just a drawing – we implement it in SQL Server and deliver it to you.
3. Estimate
Now comes the challenging part – estimating your project. We use the Screen Flow and an estimating tool that we built to update the Project Plan with cost and schedule estimates for your project, including all the main activities and modules. At this point, we aren’t actually designing individual pages and screens – we’re just estimating what we think they will cost based on our experience. We review this estimate with you and we can help you lower costs by deferring optional features to a later phase.
4. Design
Once you give us approval to proceed with development, we start diving into the details. We add more detail to the database structure, draw sketches (sometimes called “wireframe prototypes”), and build functional specifications. We review the sketches with you to ensure they’re accurate before you give the final approval. Reviewing sketches is a critical part of saving you money – it’s much easier to change a sketch than to modify a developed system!
We also work on defining your business rules – the validity checks, error messages, formulas, and automatic processes that give your system its “smarts.” We define security permissions for different types of users. Throughout this work, we keep your Q&A document up to date.
As we go along, we refine the estimates. If we discover more complexity in the project and the estimates trend upward, we let you know what’s going on so that you can choose to simplify or postpone features of your system if you like.
5. Development
Once you’ve greenlit the sketches and estimates, we’ll start development! This means we construct the screens, pages, and reports, along with the programming to make them all work together. We also test each component to ensure it’s working properly, both by itself and together with other pieces.
During this process, we’ll continue to ask you questions as they come up, and we’ll also demonstrate completed modules of your system so that you can see how it’s going.
When the last modules are completed and reviewed, and all major issues resolved, we’ll set up a User Acceptance Testing (UAT) environment for you to try out the entire system before it goes into production.
6. Go Live!
This is it! The day that you start actually using your system for real work is called Go Live day. We’ll schedule the best time to install everything, do one last conversion of your existing data, and get you running on your new system. You may choose to switch over exclusively, or run your old and new systems in parallel for a little while. We’ll also deliver all the source code, database diagrams, etc. so that you have everything you need.
7. Support & Enhancements
Custom database applications are often very complex. There are sometimes support and enhancement tasks that still need to be done after you go live. And as more of your employees use your system, it’s normal for issues, questions, and enhancement requests to come up. We’re available to answer questions, resolve issues, and make system modifications as needed.
You may have set aside some features for future phases. If you decide to move forward with those, then we’ll work on those using this same process – starting with Step 2 above!
Why choose J Street?
- Expertise: We have decades of combined experience in ASP.NET MVC, Access, and SQL Server.
- Quality: We’re renowned for producing high-caliber web and desktop applications that run trouble-free for years.
- Experience: Since 1994, we’ve worked for more than 300 clients in dozens of industries.
- Transparency: We’re stellar collaborators and communicators; our project managers keep you fully informed at every turn.
- Support: We document and install your system, train your people, then stay on call to help.
- Ownership: The source code is all yours. No “per user” fees, licensing costs, or annual charges.